Yes, for one thing remember that your pet ages at a much accelerated rate compared to people. This means that an animal's immune system also ages very rapidly. So although immunity provided through vaccines may last for many years in people, it does not last as long in our pets.

Many of the diseases that pets are vaccinated for are highly contagious and extremely serious (often fatal). Direct contact with a sick animal is often not required. The virus or bacteria can be picked up from contaminated grass, shoes, hands, etc. You could easily bring such an organism home to your pet and never even know it! The best treatment is prevention through vaccines. Your veterinarian will help tailor a vaccine schedule for your particular pet and his/her circumstances so that only the necessary vaccines are given at an appropriate frequency.

In addition, an annual examination gives the veterinarian the opportunity to pick up on any problems with your pet. This is also the ideal time to discuss any concerns that you may have. Subtle changes picked up at the annual examination such as weight loss or gain and dental disease can profoundly impact your pet's life span.

Finally, we are a veterinary hospital which means that we have a large volume of pets, both healthy and sick, through the clinic on a daily basis. For this very reason we will require that your pet be up to date on all of his/her required vaccines prior to any boarding or elective procedures that may need to be done. This includes but is not limited to things like dental cleaning, lump removals, biopsies, ultrasound, radiographs (x-rays), etc. Although we are constantly sterilizing and disinfecting all surfaces as much as possible, vaccination will further ensure that preventable diseases are not accidentally brought into the clinic or taken home by your pet.